Gloomdeep was once the greatest goblin city beneath the Northern Crags, a vast subterranean metropolis famed for its vaulted galleries, geometric avenues, and unmatched stonecraft. Over a thousand years ago it was consumed by the Corpse Plague, turning its endless halls into a necropolis of feral revenants, plague-beasts, and demons spawned from rents in the Veil. Today, Gloomdeep stands sealed and cursed, a tomb where echoes of civilization still linger under the weight of death.
- The Crown Jewel of Goblinkind – At its height, Gloomdeep was the pride of the goblin race. Its underground galleries stretched for miles, lit by rune-lanterns and carved with meticulous precision. Merchants, artisans, and masons thrived in the city’s tiered caverns.
- The Fall (1,000+ years ago) – The Corpse Plague swept through Gloomdeep in the age when Dragon Lords had only just fallen. The goblins were unprepared; the Veil tore open in the city’s depths, and its populace was transformed into plague-ridden revenants. Within months, the city collapsed into horror.
- Gloomreach’s Sacrifice – The ruler of Gloomreach, the surviving goblin city, ordered the tunnels collapsed, sealing Gloomdeep and condemning any survivors to their fate. Goblinkind barely survived extinction, scarred by this act.
- Rediscovery (100 years ago) – During humanity’s first conquest beyond the Wall, the Order of Last Light reached the sealed gates of Gloomdeep. The expedition uncovered only plague and horror. The Last Light retreated, sealing it once more — but from their number, the Ashen Vigil was born, declaring that only fire and conquest could cleanse such evil.
- Architecture – Once an ordered city of proud avenues and vaulted chambers, Gloomdeep is now twisted by collapse and plague. Its stonework is cracked, its lanterns long extinguished, its halls filled with rubble, fungus, and corpses.
- The Necropolis – The deeper halls seethe with plague revenants, twisted goblins, corpse gardens, and worse — demons that claw their way through rifts in the Veil.
- The Sealed Gates – Most known entrances were collapsed or sealed centuries ago, but some gates remain hidden in the crags, warded by both goblin runes and Last Light consecrations.
- The Corpse Plague – Ever-present in Gloomdeep, infecting the dead and living alike, feeding on the countless souls still trapped within its walls.
- Revenants – Twisted goblins and other creatures that prowl the halls, driven by hunger and malice.
- Plague Beasts – Mutated horrors birthed from corrupted corpses and demonic influence.
- Veil Rifts – Areas where reality is thin, allowing demons to manifest and spreading corruption into the mortal world.
- Ashen Vigil – Maintains a small fortified section within Gloomdeep, kept cleansed by fire and steel. From here, they launch purges deeper into the necropolis. Their actions are condemned by the Last Light as reckless and heretical.
- Order of Last Light – Refuses to enter Gloomdeep again. They maintain watch at a distance, ensuring the Vigil does not awaken greater horrors.
- Mage Guild – Secretly supports both factions, seeking relics and fragments of lore hidden in the city. Demon-core research is said to trace back to fragments recovered here.
- Goblins of Gloomreach – Refuse to speak of the city, regarding it as a grave that must never be disturbed. To them, the Vigil’s purges are blasphemy.